Paul Theroux says 'India is one country which is as hospitable as ever'

"One of the rewarding things about coming back to India is that it hasn't changed substantially. It's eternal, and this is true of both its glories as well as the horrors. It's one country which is as hospitable as ever. It doesn't stop anyone from coming here. Unfortunately, this is not true of all places. For instance, countries like Iran and Afghanistan have become totally inaccessible. That's very sad. " Author Paul Theroux served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi in the 1960's.

American travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux set new standards of travel writing with The Great Railway Bazaar, published in 1975. More than three decades later, he revisits all the places in that epic travelogue, to be published later this year in Ghost Train to the Eastern Star. On a visit to India recently, he tells Meenakshi Kumar why he enjoys revisiting places:

You have often revisited the places you wrote about. What major changes did you see in India and other places you have been to?

I was in Mumbai two years back and found the city gentrified and awashed with wealth. Bangalore had exploded with development and become very chaotic. And that's true of India as a whole. It is coming to terms with explosive development while trying to keep its soul. What's good about India is that it is attached to its past, its buildings. Unlike China, which doesn't pay much attention to its heritage.

Do you enjoy revisiting a place?

It's nice to revisit, following your own footsteps. It's an emotional exercise. Many people say that revisiting a place is always a disappointment, the place is always worse than before but i feel it's a lot of revelation. It can be disappointing but one also gets to see how the world changes. Some places get better, some are worse off. When I went back to Turkey, i found it had become more prosperous.

I had visited Vietnam during the war. Now, when i went back, it's completely changed. Revisiting a place like Vietnam gives one hope. It makes you realise that there is an end to conflict and war.

What attracts you most about India?

One of the rewarding things about coming back to India is that it hasn't changed substantially. It's eternal, and this is true of both its glories as well as the horrors. It's one country which is as hospitable as ever. It doesn't stop anyone from coming here. Unfortunately, this is not true of all places. For instance, countries like Iran and Afghanistan have become totally inaccessible. That's very sad.

Has travel become easier today?

Yes. One can take a plane to most places but then that's not travel. When i first visited Chennai in 1973, i travelled to Rameswaram by train and then took a ferry to Colombo. Two years back when i went back, i enquired if the ferry was still running. The travel agent had no idea. Instead, he could tell me about where to travel in New York, Britain and other destinations. Great urban areas are connected today but in between those cities, there are a lot of people and events. Unfortunately, they have become less known.

Dodd vows to filibuster Surveillance ActSenator Chris Dodd vowed to filibuster the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that would grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that helped this administration violate the civil liberties of Americans. "It is time to say: No more. No more trampling on our Constitution. No more excusing those who violate the rule of law. These are fundamental, basic, eternal principles. They have been around, some of them, for as long as the Magna Carta. They are enduring. What they are not is temporary. And what we do not do in a time where our country is at risk is abandon them."

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Story Source: Times of India

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - India; Figures; COS - Malawi; Writing - Malawi

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